


Appreciation

by laadychat



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Everyone loves Marinette, Fluff, Gen, classmates are using their braincells for once, everyone knows marinette is special, lila who? we don't know that person, marinette appreiciation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-30
Updated: 2020-01-02
Packaged: 2021-02-25 01:35:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22007809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/laadychat/pseuds/laadychat
Summary: Everyone realizes Marinette is special. It took her a bit to realize it though.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste & Chloé Bourgeois & Alya Césaire & Marinette Dupain-Cheng & Nino Lahiffe, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Classmates, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Lê Chiến Kim, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Nino Lahiffe
Comments: 33
Kudos: 603





	1. Suspicions

It took a while, but Marinette was starting to notice things. Things like how Alya would take on more responsibilities as the class vice president, making her life a little bit easier. Or the way Nino would bring her her favorite chocolates each morning. Or when Adrien would constantly complimented her.

Or how Kim made sure to accompany her every morning from her house to school.

It seems like everyone was being extremely... nice. Not like they weren't before, but now, it's like something happened and Marinette, of all people, was out of the loop. The tipping point was when there was a vote to decide whether or not to hold the prom at the school instead of the Bourgeois' hotel, they all turned to her. They were willing to have her decide where it'll be done, regardless of where they wanted.

Considering how vocal and opinionated her classmates were, this shocked Marinette. What surprised her even more was that Chloe agreed to host it at the hotel _without a fit_ and that her and _Alya_ would be in charge of it all.

How could Marinette _not_ be suspicious?

And then Kim went around for a whole week, demanding she makes sure she was free Friday night. He wouldn't tell her _why_ but she did make sure she wasn't doing anything that evening(unless Hawkmoth had nothing else to do in his miserable life).

Finally, on Thursday evening, she cracked.

"Everyone's acting weird, Tikki. What is going on?"

The little creature floated towards her wielder. "What do you mean?"

Marinette flopped on her bed, a sigh escaping her lips. "They're being so nice to me. Not like they weren't before," she quickly added. "But come on! Chloe didn't even put up a fight today when it came to prom! She agreed to have it at the hotel and that's not even the craziest part." She sat up, facing her kwami. "I'm in charge of all events, right? She said she'll take care of everything with _Alya._ "

"And you think this is weird?"

She nodded her head vigorously. "Well, duh! Alya and Chloe hate each other. They didn't want me to put in any work and said I needed to take some time off and relax."

Tikki giggled at her owner's antics and patted her cheeks. "Cheer up, Marinette. It looks like your friends mean well."

"That's the thing! Chloe hasn't said one rude thing to me in weeks and Nino has been bringing all my favorite candies. Adrien has me almost stuttering again with all the nice things he says. " Huffing, she flopped back on the bed. "Even Kim walks me to school everyday and refuses to let me carry my own _backpack._ Something is up."

Tikki, unbeknownst to Marinette, knew exactly why everyone was acting this way. Only because when Marinette falls asleep in class, Tikki is still very much awake and listening to her surrounding areas.

Which means she heard just exactly why her wielder's classmates wanted Marinette to take the next evening off.

"Why don't you ask them?"

Groaning, Marinette simply buried her face into her pillow. "How would I even ask? 'Hey, why has everyone been so weirdly nice to me? It's kinda freaking me out.' Who would I ask? Alya would probably think I'm overreacting-"

Her frustrated rant was cut short when a knock at her door interrupted it. When she made sure Tikki was out of sight, she turned towards her door. "Come in."

"So, M," the voice called out, the person climbing into the room. Just hearing that person was enough for Marinette to want to tear her hair out. "You're still free tomorrow night?"

Of course Kim would come over and ask her that.

Just like how Juleka and Alix kept asking her that _exact same damn question._

Even _Adrien_ brought it up.

Taking a deep breath, she turned towards him. "Yes, Kim, I'm free tomorrow. Might tell me why I need to have the evening off?"

He just grinned and dropped his backpack on the ground. "And ruin the surprise? Why would I do that?"

Marinette narrowed her eyes, not at all trusting him at the moment. Kim _always_ slipped up in front of her. He barely kept any secrets from her so to have him be this close lipped about tomorrow irked her.

"I promise it's nothing bad," he moved towards her bed and started climbing. "Move over, I'm so tired."

Rolling her eyes, she scooted. "You have your own bed in your own home."

He simply shrugged, landing on the bed with a thud. "Your bed is so comfy. Plus," he pointed towards a bag he set on her desk. "You're parents always give me sweets. Why would I stop coming over?"

"For one thing," she jabbed his side. "My parents think we're together. Mama thinks it's weird I keep denying it."

He waved her off. "You act like dating me is a bad thing. You," he pointed at her and winked. "me, dinner. This Saturday."

Marinette snorted, finally laying down next to him. Sure, he was annoying her by _not_ telling her what's going on tomorrow night but Kim always had a way of cheering her up. "My favorite flowers are lil-"

"-lies and marigolds. How could I forget, buttercup?"

Rolling her eyes once again, she shoved him. "Whatever." She hadn't exactly expected him to remember such details(she was _obsessed_ with flowers as a kid) but it was nice to know that people _were_ paying attention to what her favorite things are. "What about that new Chinese place that recently opened up?"

He grinned. "Ah, you know no one beats your mom's cooking. Why would I insult her by going somewhere else to get Chinese food?"

And just like that, Marinette forgot about what her friends might have in store for her.

Until after Kim had left and she finished her phone call with Alya.

Groaning, she tugged on her hair. "Tikki, what do I do?"

The little creature giggled and patted her master's head. "Maybe you're reading too much into it. Just go to sleep and let's see what happens tomorrow, yeah?"

Grumbling her agreement, Marinette slipped under her cover, determined to rise early the next day.

-

She did actually wake up early.

Only because this time, it was Alya and Nino who made it their mission to haul her ass out of her house by some ungodly hour. She hadn't been up that early in _years._

At least Kim was a bit nicer in waking her up.

So in her defense, she has every right to be a bit cranky.

"It's 6:30am, why are we walking towards a cafe before school?" She muttered, her hands in her jacket pocket as she leaned into Alya.

The latter simply snorted and threw an arm around her. "Come on, it's not that early. Besides, Adrien got permission to meet us there!"

"It's still too early." She whined but quickened her pace towards the cafe. It wasn't often that Adrien got a chance to hang out with them and despite the bitter cold snipping at her cheeks, Marinette wasn't going to miss out on this chance. "Why are two walking so slow? Let's go!"

But that wasn't the only unusual thing that happened throughout the day. Chloe was the first one to greet her as she walked into class, with her _first name_. Nathaniel and Marc showed her a comic where the hero was based of _her._ Even the teachers didn't berate her as she stumbled into one of the afternoon classes late. Adrien sat next to her instead of Nino during lunch.

By the end of the day, Marinette was sure she stumbled upon an alternative reality. One she was home and Tikki has flown out of her purse, she through her hands up. "I thought everyone was acting weird before, but today takes the cake. Is there an akuma attack I don't know about?"

The little god only laughed. "Maybe you'll find out later today?"

She stared at her kwami, her voice deadpanned. "Oh yes, of course."

Marinette sighed and decided the best way to distract herself was to start sewing that prom dress for Rosé. She had already finished Alya's and Chloé's (that's a story for _another_ day) and once Rosé's was done, all was left was her own dress. 

A few hours in and she was pretty proud with how far she gotten when suddenly her trap door was slammed open.

"Alright, I am here to drag your ass, M."

Marinette stared at the girl in front of her, her heartbeat erratic as she wasn't expecting such an abrupt interruption.

"You gonna put that scissor down or are you gonna actually throw it?"

It was only then that Marinette realized she had the said odject in her hands, arm pulled back as if she was about to throw it. Yelping, she quickly set the scissors down before turning to her intruder.

"You know better than to scare me like that, Alix. Remember the skating ring?"

Alix rolled her eyes, walking towards the bluenette. "I called your name like three times before I came up. Figured you were sewing. Now," grabbing her friend's hand and tugging her up, Alix grinned. "We don't wanna make everyone wait. Let's go!"

Marinette barely had any time to gather her stuff before the shorter girl forced her out of the room and out the front doors. "Where are we even going?"

"Secret. And," she held up a piece of cloth. "I'm gonna put this around your head- you can't see where I'm taking you."

Pausing in her steps, the bluenette gave Alix and exasperated look. "That sounds very suspicious. Especially because no one would tell me what's going on."

The next thing that happened really made Marinette feel like the alternative reality theory was a totally crazy thought. Instead of the usual sassy replies she associates the girl with, Alix gave her a soft smile followed with a 'I promise it's nothing bad, trust me'. That was enough to get Marinette to agree but it was still weird. Alix never really let anyone see her like that and to see it _now_ -

Just what did her classmates do?

Gripping the shorter girl's hand, Marinette couldn't think of anything she's done recently to have the class change their attitude towards her. 

Maybe something Lila said? But the girl hasn't been seen in a couple of weeks(apparently the prince of Achu asked her to accompany him on a safari trip- yeah, _right_ ) and so Marinette was back to square one. 

But she was quickly yanked back from her thoughts when they suddenly stopped and the cloth was untied.

Right in front of her was her entire classmates, other students, and it was very clearly a celebration. But her birthday isn't in months and-

"Hey, Marinette." Adrien spoke up, a gentle smile on his lips. "Welcome to the 'Marinette Appreciation Party'."


	2. Just Because You're You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was little thing that caused people to open their eyes.

- _The Beginning_ -

Slamming the homeroom classroom door open, Alix grinned at all the stunned faces. Striding towards the front of the classroom, she made sure she was holding everyone's attention.

Satisfied with the result, she dug in her bag and pulled out a little plush. "Guess who just made this for me?"

All she received was blank stares and her grinned turned into a smirk. "What you see here is an original _Marinette_ made plushie."

A beat of silence. Then, " _what_?"

Now that was the reaction she was looking for.

"She made that? No fair, I want a Marinette made plushie!" Kim cried out, jumping from his seat and stalked towards the shorter girl. "She makes the cutest things!"

"Nuh-uh," she pointed a warning finger towards him. "She made you that blanket, _I_ get the plushie."

Kim stopped where he was and blinked. Suddenly, he turned around and opened up his bag, displaying the said blanket. "You mean this one? The one you got so salty over?" He grinned.

"Well, I got a sweater from her!" Alya spoke up, not one to back down. She stoof up, proudly displaying the one she currently is wearing. "It fits so nicely."

"See these gloves?" Juleka held up her hand, showing off some really nice, purple fingerless gloves. "I got these from her last week."

And just like that, the rest of the students went around presenting the gifts they all received from their class president. Even _Chloé_ piped up at one point, showing the bag that was gifted to her.

"Wait," Max suddenly spoke up, pushing his glasses back. "When did Marinette find the time to make us all of these things? I mean," he gestured around towards all the gifts laying around. "They all look so professionally made. It must have taken her forever to make some of these stuff."

At that, everyone paused. They were all so excited to get something from Marinette, they never really thought about the effort it took her to make them. And each item was clearly made with each person in mind - _when did she actually have all the time for these things?_

A gasp broke the stunned silence and then Nino groaned. "Do you think that's why she's always so tired?"

"Plus, I've seen some of the responsibilities she has as class president - that takes a lot out of her too." Alya winced, looking down at her sweater with a frown.

Adrien, who was quiet for most of the exchange, frowned. He glanced over at the scarf(not the scarf, but he now knew she made that too) Marinettegave to him earlier this week. "Doesn't she also babysit and help around the bakery?"

"Oh my _God_ , she sometime babysits my sisters!" Alya's hand flew to her mouth, horrified by the picture now painted by her classmates.

"She's gonna run herself dry." Rosé muttered, hugging a unicorn stuffed animal tightly. "We have to do something for her, guys. Marinette's amazing."

A chorus of agreement was heard and it was made official. The class was going to band together to make Marinette's life easier.

-

"Do you need me to babysit for you, Alya? You haven't asked in a while."

Said girl winced. How many times has she done that for her? Way too many times from the sounds of it.

Alya smiled and patted Marinette's head. "Thanks, babe, but it's all good. Thanks for taking care of them for me whenever I asked."

Marinette smiled back and just looking at it squeezed Alya's heart. How could she have taken advantage of this girl without noticing.

"Hey, why don't I finished this stuff up and you head home?"

"It's okay, Alya. I got this."

Alya shook her head and gently took the marker from the bluenette's hand. "You've hardly let me do anything, I'll finish up. Call you later?"

She knew her friend didn't want to leave her. But it was clear she needed sleep, if the bags under her eyes were anything to go by. Marinette finally agreed and Alya was relieved. She was going to take more responsibilities so Marinette could rest more, she promised herself.

-

For Nino, it something a little more subtle. When they were younger and he didn't have any friends, there was Marinette. Sweet, awkward, clumsy Marinette. And she would bring him his favorite candy to class everyday.

What she didn't realize was that since then, he vowed to always be there for her.

He couldn't believe he failed the one promise he made to her.

So he started trying to make it up by doing the one thing she did for him all those years ago when he felt lonely.

Bringing her favorite candy everyday. 

It wasn't much, not nearly enough for what she's done for him, but it was a start.

And he was determined to keep his promise this time.

-

Adrien _adores_ Marinette.

Marinette has been nothing but kind and sweet to him and she was the first friend he made (Nino would count but the DJ boy beat him to the punch. Marinette was the first person he asked to be friende with). Adrien wasn't blind, he saw how tired the bluenette would be sometimes and how often time it coincided with when she presented a gift to someone. 

The first time she gave him something, she immediately knocked out on her desk. Adrien was so happy Marinette liked him enough to give him something, he failed to see how much toll it took on her.

Scrambling from his bed, Adrien has a great idea on how to begin to show his gratitude to his classmate. 

He just had to find some yarn first.

-

Kim's doesn't remember when it exactly started, just that every _Tết_ , he had celebrated with Marinette. He never really wanted to go all out - people use to make fun of his ethnicity all the time. Nevermind the fact that he was constantly telling everyone he wasn't Chinese, he's _Vietnamese_. They just happen to have similar holidays that land on the same days.

His old classmates didn't care and continued their ways.

Then, after much begging on his side, he transferred schools when he was in third grade. He prayed to anyone listening to his dear soul that there would be someone like him this time. Just so he wouldn't feel completely lonely.

And that's where he met her. Marinette Dupain-Cheng. At first, he was ecstatic. But then nervous because how exactly could he ask her to be his friend?

But then it happened. _Tết_ was just around the corner once again and he wanted to skip out of school. And just as he was about to request to go to the school nurse's office, Marinette walked in, fully decked out in a _qipao_.

She smiled at everyone and handed out cards, each person responding back with a 'Happy New Year' to her. Kim was utterly shocked. No one made fun of her, no one laughed and called her ridiculous - it completely baffled him. And when she got to him, she smiled softly.

"You're Vietnamese, right?"

He nodded.

" _Chúc mừng năm mới_."

The next day, Kim came into class wearing an _áo dài._ He grinned when he caught Marinette wearing a different _qipao_.

"X _īnnián kuàilè."_

Scatch that, Kim knew exactly when he started celebrating the lunar new year with Marinette.

She made him feel more confident with his own self. He wanted Marinette to feel confident in her own self.

And the lunar new years was just right around the corner.

-

Alix was always the girl who would rough house with guys. She was always the one who would willingly get into a fight with guys if they said anything mean or degrading about girls. And one day, she _might_ have underestimated her strength against a few guys but that wasn't going to let her down! She stood up straight and stared them all down(she was a bit shorter but don't let her hear you say that), and dared them to come after her.

She momentarily forgot that these guys love dares. Realizing she was quickly losing ground, she made a run for it, all the while still taunting them. 

One of the boys managed to catch her arm and tackled her, making sure to keep her pinned down.

(She wasn't down for long and was quite smug with how she got away.)

But just as another boy grabbed her, he was harshly yanked away. Confused, Alix looked to see why and grinned when she found it.

More like _who_.

She doesn't exactly remember how it happened, but all she does remember is all three of the boys kneeling down in front of Marinette and stuttering out apologies to her.

Since that day, Marinette has been Alix's hero and no one has her respect the way the bluenette does.

Alix was laying on her floor as she recalled that day. Getting up from her position, she decided that she was going to do whatever she could to make sure Marinette gets that level of respect she deserves from everyone. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was not how i was expecting this chapter to be but I'm not disappointed.
> 
> tumblr : @laadychat ♡
> 
> Qipao= traditional Chinese dress, Tết= vietnamese new years, chúc mừng năm mới= happy new years in Vietnamese, áo dài= traditional Vietnamese clothes, xīnnián kuàilè= happy new years in Mandarin
> 
> if i messed up on anything, please lemme know!

**Author's Note:**

> everyone should appreiciate marinette, periodt. Got too lazy to edit cause if i started it, dunno when i would have uploaded this 😂😂😂 promise to edit it before chpt. 2 gets posted.


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